Eden Lodge

Eden Lodge was the world's first hotel to run entirely on solar power, and the first in Madagascar to earn Green Globe certification. The eight lodges sit along Baobab Beach, a stretch of white sand studded with ancient baobab trees on Madagascar's mainland coast, reachable only by a 30-minute boat crossing from Nosy Be. Built from local stone, fallen timber, coconut leaves and ravinala thatch, the lodges are deliberately hard to spot from the water on arrival, disappearing into the treeline.

There's no motorised watersports here, protecting the marine life that draws people to kayak, sail and dive the reef instead. Green turtles feed in front of the lodge most mornings, and dolphins and whales pass offshore in season. Staff are entirely Malagasy, with around 70 per cent from the surrounding villages, and since partnering with the Docenda Association in 2012 the lodge has helped more than 150 local young people complete their schooling, funding both teachers' salaries and the school building.